Reading Addict

TCCL Blogs

Comments

Discussion content should not be viewed as an endorsement of the views of Tulsa City County Library. TCCL reserves the right to edit or refuse to post any material, in whole or in part, that does not meet these guidelines. TCCL reserves the right to make changes to the guidelines at any time.

I’m sure if you really pressed Chip Kidd he might eventually come clean that, yes, there are aspects of his job that don’t greet with a hug and kiss on the cheek. But from here, his job seems pretty fantastic. You know when you’re browsing a shelf of books and you come upon a great cover? For me, the mantra ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ could not be more irrelevant. If I find a cover that could be a work of art in and of itself, game over. That book wins.

I’ve recently noticed my own aversion to hour-long television dramas—Mad Men and Tudors excluded, of course. These days I’m more prone to watch a well-written, witty half-hour sitcom than an intense drama that requires faithful weekly viewing to keep up with characters’ lives. This is a big shift for me, and I’m finally beginning to understand why so many people choose lighter, less depressing types of material when reading for pleasure.

In the year of our lord 2006 an epic tale of seafaring and sailing, of love and war, of loss and renewal took Europe by storm, like a nor’easter gale enveloping a schooner. The book We, the Drowned , an impossible debut by Danish author Carsten Jensen was translated into English last year and despite benefitting from some incredibly positive reviews, has largely flown under the radar. But let me impart a bit of wisdom if I may. Do not sleep on this novel.

I often use the psychology of Mean Girls to understand interpersonal interactions. In fact, I wonder aloud at least a couple of times a month if we’re destined to play out Mean Girls for the rest of our lives. Based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, Mean Girls is a darkly humorous look at what can be a painful, angst-ridden time for young women.